Portland bicyclist runs red lights, but adds no time to his commuteLet's conduct a little experiment. Is it worth blowing through a red light on your bicycle on the streets of Portland? Sure, you risk getting a ticket, hitting a pedestrian and possibly even getting killed. But say you're in a rush. Does it really cut much time off you're commute?

And it’s not just Paris, where they're testing the new law at 15 busy intersections. French lawmakers have relaxed the rules for bike riders at intersections across the nation.

From Treehugger:“In most cases, traffic rules are designed to vehicles and their occupants from succumbing to the pitfalls of Newton's laws of motion -- but until now, bicyclists have been subject to the same rules and regulations as the multi-ton vehicles with which they share the road. Following a nationwide pro-cycling campaign, French lawmakers recently issued a decree allowing cyclists in some cities to disregard red lights at certain intersections, not merely because such regulations work against cycling physics, but because it actually makes roads safer for everyone.”

Bike commuters don’t have the right to blow through crossings unreasonably (the local police will determine what that means). According to the pedal-loving folks at Treehugger, “it's a long-overdo nod to cyclists' greatest asset: the instinct of self-preservation, powered by 'self'.”

Of course, my question to Portland bicyclists who roll through those reds remains: Is it worth it?